In 2004, as a freshman at Eureka High School in Eureka, California, Holly LaCount enrolled in a service learning program called Environmental and Spatial Technology (EAST) in which students develop projects to solve problems in their community. Holly wanted to develop a project that would combine her love of horses and her desire to make a difference in her community. To honor her Grandma Joy, who died of ovarian cancer in 2003, she decided to develop a project that would help fund cancer research and support services. Through planning and perseverence Holly founded the HERO Ride For Life, the first equestrian relay event in the country. The first HERO Ride For Life event was held on June 4, 2005 at the Ferndale Fairgrounds Race Track near Eureka and $12,000 was raised and donated to the American Cancer Society. The Eureka event has been held annually since then and as of the 11th Annual HERO Ride For Life in 2015 it has raised over $181,045 for cancer research and support services. Other HERO events, inspired by the original HERO relay, are held in both Red Bluff, California and Clinton, Arkansas and the combined fundraising total for all three events since 2005 is over $437,383!!